Avoiding the Unavoidable
by Mae Liz
Summary: Bella marries Jake, five years after the Cullens leave. Three years later they have to come back. When Alice sees the danger leaving her alone caused how will Bella react to a Cullen back in her life? Will the pieces Jake stitched stay together?
1. Death of Love

Author's Note- Don't get too made, this is my first Twilight fic, I tended to stick to X-Men and things like that. I do have some experience writing, just not in this genre. If I mess something up really badly please tell me, I won't react badly- I like constructive criticism- but don't flame me because then I won't take it very well, and odds are I won't pay any attention because I'll just assume you hated it and that your opinion is biased because of that.

Also, I don't plan on having all the extra wolves. It is my understanding that they all inherited the gift with the large amount of newborns that Victoria created. So I think I'm keeping it just the original six- Sam, Paul, Jared, Embry, Quil and Jake. Unless I am mistaken Seth and Leah didn't change until after the Cullens came back, if it was before then I will just add them into the mix, but otherwise I won't.

Avoiding the Unavoidable

Chapter 1

Death of Love

"Now girls, I know we've been teaching this class for a few weeks now, I want you all to get a view of a real attack. With the way things in this area have become I don't want any of you caught unaware of what you can do to an attacker. On this reservation you have plenty of people you can run to, but outside you don't. You all know how I feel about leaving- it's up to you and I won't judge you, but if you do decide to leave you need to know how to defend yourselves." I begin nervously in front of my audience of young girls from the La Push Reservation, my home for the past few years.

"Bells- get on with it. If you keep talking then the Elders that are paying for this will die of old age before you finish your speech." Jacob Black- my husband of three years- chides from behind me. Slowly he inches toward me from the shadows, like someone intent on attacking a defenseless woman at night.

"Let me show you what you would do. Now you may not hear them coming up from behind you- like I can't hear Jake- but that doesn't matter." I instruct as Jake grabs my left shoulder in his large right hand. "Sir, would you please be so kind as to remove your hand from my shoulder?" I ask tilting my head slightly toward him, making eye contact out of the corner of my eye.

"And what if I don't wanna, yer really pretty. Ya shouldn't be out here alone, might come up on someone wantin' ta hurt ya." Jake slurs in a perfect imitation of a drunken assailant.

"Sir, if you don't remove your hand I will be forced to remove it for you." I warn scathingly, continuing the act, even though his innocent touch sends goosebumps up and down my arms.

"Well, I've decided I like ya. Yer comin' home wit me and I won't take no fer an answer." He replies with a voice laced with authority as he puffs out his chest in a display of masculine pride and an attempt at intimidation.

"You can't say I didn't warn you." I reply grabbing three fingers or the offending hand in a tight grip before spinning away from him and placing the edge of my free hand under his wrist and pushing up with enough force to hurt a normal male. The great thing about Jake being my partner in these classes is that I can't hurt him if I chose to.

"Ouch! I give!" Jake yells as he pulls his hand back quickly before sending his fist toward my face, a move I blocked easily by throwing up my forearm.

"Jake! Crap! You're not supposed to hurt me!" I cry out as his fist comes in contact with my arm, one of the many drawbacks of being married to one of the werewolves on the reservation. "Well, with the exception that Jake here can punch harder than a trained fighter that was realistic. Now I want you to pair up and practice removing that offending hand. You can go on to practice blocks, parries and kicks if you want, but make sure you have removal down first, okay?" I announce as the small group of girls jump up and break off into groups to practice the move I had just demonstrated.

"Do you need to get to the hospital, Bells? I can drive you down now if you want, Sam can finish the class." He rambles quickly grabbing my arm and placing his feverish lips to the large red mark that bruises as he inspects it.

"How long have you known me, Jake? I bruise easily. I think I might ask Sam to do the next demonstration though, he'll be a little gentler." I retort pulling my arm from his grasp. "Plus your body heat is not going to make it any better- if you want to do something productive to grab the ice pack out of the freezer in the kitchen. You should know where that is, since you're in there enough throughout the day." I tease before wrapping my arms around his abdomen and his arms wrap around my shoulders.

"Fine. I can do that." He replies before giving me a quick peck on the lips and rushing off inside of our small house and out of my eyesight.

"I can do the next demonstration, if you have another one planned." Paul says coming up beside me as he watches the girls practice.

"That might work. You can pair off with Jake and show them what it would look like if they meet someone their own strength." I admit smiling slightly at the offer. "I can demonstrate with someone else on what to do if they are of superior strength."

"I never thought that this would be a good idea Bella, but I am glad that you got this started. We can't be around to protect these kids all the time." Paul confesses sending a charming smile my way before scowling as Jake runs back toward us.

"The girls need someone who will tell them it's okay to leave here. Look at all the good that you all have done. After James- I don't want to think about all of that. These kids need information that I never had."

"Don't worry- we are trying to help these kids." Sam says reassuringly. "I don't want to see any one of them hurt. If this is a success, and the elders approve of what you are doing, we will take it to the other local tribes. They will want to help their children- and they don't have helpers like us." Sam assures me, laying a hand on my right shoulder, and causing chill bumps to rise up once again, but this time only from the temperature difference.

"Hey! You've got your own wife, lay off of mine." Jake yells out running over and picking me up in his arms and pulling me away from Sam's gentle touch on my shoulder.

"Jake! Put me down this instant before I make you an example of why men shouldn't pick on women that are smaller than they are." I warn scathingly causing him to set me down gently on my feet and placing the ice pack to my now bruised arm. "Good boy." I tease, patting his chest softly like you would a family pet.

"Just because of what I can do doesn't mean that you can treat me like a dog." He replies, sounding offended.

"Point taken, but it's time to move on to our next lesson. Girls, I need your attention up here." I call out somewhat softly so that the three men with super sensitive hearing don't have trails of blood running down from their ears. "We are going to show you what it's like if you find yourselves grabbed from behind.

"We're going to let Paul and Jake take out some anger and turn them into punching bags for each other, but Sam is going to help me show what to do if the attacker isn't the same size as you. I think we'll both agree that Sam is not only bigger than I am, but stronger, right?" I ask causing all the girls to burst into giggles. "Now, this isn't much different. In the situation that Paul and Jake are going to show the weak points would be the eyes, nose or the face in general. They would also have the groin, knees, shins and the tops of the feet. I'll explain it before they show it, but I am going to have Sam help me demonstrate what to do when they are larger than you are. He's going to grab me around the shoulders, over my arms, and I can't reach his face." I explain before Sam grabs me as I had instructed.

"Here is what you are going to do, should you be grabbed like that. You are going to lean your weight to whichever side you don't write with, and bend that knee." I explain slowly being my left knee and dropping my weight to that side, throwing Sam off balance. "Now from here you have a few choices, but I'll explain them one at a time. A couple of them are easy. You can lift the foot that you don't have your weight on and either kick their shins, or stomp on their foot, they will let go but it may take a couple of times. Or, if that isn't working you can reach your hand back and deliver a blow that will knock them to the ground, it can just be a little extreme, so I don't want to do it to Sam- I think Emily would hurt me if I send Sam home limping." I joke causing all the kids to laugh at the idea of Emily coming after me. Even with their simple understanding of the whole situation they know it would never happen.

"Yeah, but Emily would get through me." Jake retorts crossing his arms in front of his chest as Sam lets go of me and stands in front of him.

"I hope you weren't just threatening Emily, I'd have to do something about that." Same replies with a mischievous smile plastered on his face.

"Okay, scratch the new lesson girls, let's just give these two guys some room to sort this out and we'll meet again next week. Have fun, and don't share any of this!" I call out as the girls run in every direction but toward the four instructors. "Now I'm tired." I complain slowly sinking down to the ground and laying down on the grass in the sunlight.

"You've been acting off today, what's up?" Jake asks me walking up behind me and placing his arms around me lightly, warming me skin and causing goosebumps.

"Nothing really, I've just been thinking about why we started this whole thing. We never did talk about that- about the attack. I never told you what happened." I confess leaning into his embrace.

"You don't have to, I won't force you." Jake assures me, clearly uncomfortable with the topic of Vampires- especially when it has anything to do with Edward Cullen and saving me from anything.

"Look, you don't truly understand how it happened. We were playing baseball, well I guess it's more accurate to say they were playing and I was playing Umpire. That is when the three Vampires came up to us- James, Victoria and another one of their coven. It was all good until he caught one whiff of my scent, and let's just sum it up to say he was dying of thirst and ran into a lake. It escalated from there."

"He never would have come near you if you weren't out with the bloodsuckers. I know that you tell me not to call them that, but honestly Bella, do you expect me to just say 'Oh, it's okay' when they put you in that position."

"Look Jake, I know you don't like the idea of them, but it happened. They saved me from death. I was laying there dying, I was becoming one of them! Edward is the only reason that I am standing here breathing, he is the only reason that we could be married! Are you going to tell me that you are unhappy? Do you think that he should have just let me be turned? Oh yes, let's have this argument. The only way this can end is that you are unhappy with the eight years that we have been together. Are you jealous of what Sam and Emily have? Do you want what they have and you just can't have it? Fine Jacob, I'll just go back to my dad's and you can try to imprint on someone. You can admit that we have wasted the last eight years of our lives together. It's okay Jake, I'll just go back to Edward and beg him to turn me, and maybe this time he'll listen." I scream grabbing my purse off of the couch and running into the bedroom and opening the drawer and throwing random articles of clothing into the bag.

"Look Bella, let me explain." Jake pleads running into the room and placing his hand on my arm.

"Let go of me." I demand through clenched teeth, causing him to respond and let go of my arm. "We both need some time to cool down, why don't you just stay here and invite Embry and Quil over for some beers and I'll spend a couple of nights with my dad. Let's just cool off for a few nights, and then we'll talk about all of this. Jake this is why we don't talk about this, but I felt the need to do it- I can't have this gap between us. You aren't ready to talk about this now Jake, and I'm not ready to let this go."

Edward's POV

"What do you mean Alice?" I hiss into the phone. Did she think she could just call and tell me 'Bella needs you' and that I would travel all the way to Forks from Maine? Here I am, minding my own business and she drops that bomb on me. There is no way that I'd just drop everything and leave.

"You told Bella you'd be the first to step in if something changed. There is an issue. Jake's dead." She says softly before she hangs up.

Of course, right when I get my new start her husband keels over. He can't die while I'm just in Seattle, under a days drive from her. He has to drop dead.... wait, the wolves can die short of Vampire attacks?

"Alice, what did you mean?"

"I knew you'd call back."


	2. Otherworldly Menace or Pranksters?

Author's Note- This story is going to be a little angsty for a while, but that is just because my life is at the moment, so my writing will reflect it. But- and this is a big one- this story has an outline!

Melissarxy1- I didn't expect to see you in this genre, it's a nice surprise! I actually didn't expect to see any familiar names at all. I'm hoping to surprise anyone who has read my work in the past with the new and improve writing style! I had the worst English teacher over the summer for a Lit class, he did things like make us take out all the be verbs and replace them... it was a nightmare.

Avoiding the Unavoidable

Chapter 2

Otherworldly Menace or Pranksters?

"Dad?" I call out unlocking the front door and opening it slowly. Whenever Jake and I fight I always come back to Charlie's house in Forks. It would be so easy for me to make Jake go to Billy's, but then Billy gets in our business and puts his opinion in on the fights- or at least what he thinks we're fighting over. Billy has actually told Jake he should go an imprint! Like I wasn't good enough for his son! Charlie doesn't do things like that, he leaves me alone unless I want to talk about it. "Dad, it's Bella. Are you home?" I call out walking through the living room and into the kitchen to check his calendar on the fridge.

With the amount of fighting Jake and I have been doing Charlie now keeps a calendar on his fridge so that I know when he'll be home. It's nice to know if he isn't going to be in until late- and I can always call him at work if it says he should be here. Finding the date on the calendar and when he's going to arrive isn't a problem- it's reading his handwriting about why that can be sometimes. Closing the gap between myself and the large calendar decorating the fridge I try to read the sloppy letters in the small box, hoping to make sense of them.

"Bonfire with Billy. Great, I pick the one day that he won't be home to be here." Then it hits me- I'm supposed to be at that bonfire. "Looks like I'm just not going to be there." I mutter sitting on the living room sofa and settling in for a while. I reach to the side table and grab the remote and begin flipping through the channels on Charlie's digital cable- a gift from Jake and I a few months ago. Charlie had fallen for this new team, but they weren't on regular cable, and they weren't on satellite, the only channels that covered them were digital. Well, Charlie wouldn't deal with it, and Billy put some pressure on us, since he still goes to Charlie's to watch games on his much bigger TV. Finally, after about three months of 'You know, I missed this great game- too bad a couple of nice people I know aren't helping me out' we caved and bought it.

Finally, around midnight, I got sick of waiting on Charlie. Pulling a notepad out of my purse and a pen I quickly wrote 'fighting with Jake, I'm in my room. If it's not okay I can go to the Days Inn for a couple of nights. Let me know.' and stuck it to his large LCD screen- another gift from Jake and I. Charlie's house was seeing a few big upgrades, and he should be thankful that Billy pressures us into these things.

Walking quickly up to my bedroom I notice the door is open slightly, and so is the window. Jake must have called him ahead of time and let him know I was coming. Sometimes there would be so long between visits- I guess I should say so long between fights- that the room would get dusty and I'd have to spend an hour cleaning up the dust, and even longer waiting for air that isn't stale to start circulating. Times like these I wondered what it would be like to not have to breathe- to be like the Cullens. I rarely think about them. It was so long ago, and scars have long since healed. Sometimes I wonder, just where are those pictures, the plane tickets and the CD. I want to listen to it sometimes, in my car or in my bedroom while I wait on Charlie to get home, or just when I want to remember happier times. When I'm mad at Jake I don't want to think about him, I always wonder what truly happened to the Cullens.

"Bella, the CD is under this floorboard here, but be careful termites are starting to eat at the floor boards." I hear a musical voice say from the direction of my bed. "It's been a long time." Alice? Alice Cullen?

"Alice?" I ask unsure if I'm dreaming or actually awake. "What are you doing here? I thought that you were never going to see me again. That all of you had left for good."

"We had, but something came up. Edward has had me looking for you, making sure you're happy, that you're alright. It's hard to see you sometimes, but now it isn't. I'm worried about why I can see you so clearly now Bella, like there isn't-"

"What are you talking about? You haven't been able to see me but now you can?" I ask in a rush knowing that no matter how quickly I spoke, or how soft my voice, Alice could hear me.

"For whatever reason, I can't see your husband. I can't see Jake, or Sam, Embry, Quil, Paul or Jared. I can see people around them when they aren't there, but anytime they are around I can't see anything." Alice explains slowly, hoping I can give her the answer that she already knows, she was speaking of my new family with a familiarity that would be scary if I hadn't grown accustomed to it years ago.

"You can't see the wolves. What is happening Alice?"

"I don't know, I think you need to get to the bonfire." She says turning her head to look out the window, and away from me. Slowly I take a few steps toward her before the floorboard beneath my foot cracks and I'm across the room, in Alice's arms.

"The floorboard was going to crack, and you'd have fallen through. It would have broken your leg, and then I'd have had to explain to Edward why I let you get hurt." Alice explains setting me down on my feet. "Look in there though, you'll find what you're looking for." She says softly pushing me in the direction of the broken board.

Dropping to my knees I reach down into the gap and pick up a few of the cold items hidden by the wood all this time. The first things I bring up are the CD and pictures of Edward- his pained expression takes me back to those last few days we had together, before he left me broken. Quickly reaching down I bring up pictures and plane tickets until I reach back down and there isn't anything new. "Why did he-"

"He thought he was doing what was best for you Bella, but right now we don't have time to worry about that. You need to get to that bonfire. The wolves are going to smell me on you, so you need to jump into the shower first. I'll be close. We have all been in Seattle this whole time. I've seen you on the street before Bella, I just wasn't allowed to say anything. Edward will have my head for this, but I've seen what happens if you don't interfere here tonight. You'll go back to your dark days." Alice says cryptically before disappearing.

"Jake!" I call out running up to him and throwing my arms around him when I get back to the Reservation. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry."

"Bella, what's wrong?" He asks pulling me away from him and looking down at me.

"I had a-"

"I can smell them, what happened? Showering doesn't cover their smell as much as you think it would Bells. It's not him that I smell, it's one of the females. What happened?"

"Alice, she was in my room when I got to Charlie's. She can see the future Jake. She saw something happening, but she couldn't tell what. She said if I don't come back here tonight that I'd go back to my dark days- that I would lose you. I can't lose you Jake." I sob throwing my arms around his broad chest.

"Nothing is happening. Does this meant the- that they're back?" He asks quickly.

"No, nothing like that. She told me where to find all the pictures and gifts they all got me for my 18th birthday, and then she saved me from breaking my leg-"

"You mean she didn't break it for you?" Jake asks, venom coating his voice.

"No, there are termites at Charlie's, they ate away at one of the floorboards in my old bedroom. Right as I stepped on it, I felt it crack and then I was across the room, in her arms. The wood fell into the hole my foot created, and there is no way I'd have been able to survive that without a major break and splinters and the works."

"You're sure she didn't plan it?"

"Jake! I saw the termites! Are you going to trust me? How many times have we been over to Charlie's and how many times have you smelled them?" I ask pulling away from him.

"You're right. I don't wanna fight about this. I'm sorry, Bells." He whispers pulling me back into his warm embrace. In all the years I've been with Jake I had grown accustomed to not remembering the difference in his embrace and Edward's, but seeing those pictures brought something back. A flash of cold skin, cold lips, a burning desire to feel his cold- I have to stop thinking about it. Jake is here, and Edward left long ago.

"What is happening tonight?"

"It's a burial ceremony. We had to bury a couple of our own. Something is back, Bella. I hate to say it, but your Vampires might have picked a perfect time to come back. A couple of kids were found slaughtered in the woods a few days ago. Billy has kept it quiet the past few days, but we had a funeral for them tonight. It's not likely that anything big will happen, but something ate them Bella, sucked them dry."

"Oh God Jake... please don't tell me you're going out there."

"It's what I do, I have to help my people Bella. You can stay here or stay with Charlie. If you decide to stay here you can stick with Leah, or Emily, or anyone who is in town. Don't sniff around Billy's, he's already caught onto the fact that we had a fight."


	3. Pack Mentality Means More Suffer

Author's note- I don't know much about Native American culture, so we're just going to go with this one has adapted to the American culture around it. If someone wants to correct me, please do it in a PM and not in a flame. I will change what I can, but there are jerks in every culture, and people who break the norm in them. So I am warning that the mistakes of a few don't mean I think so little of the entire culture, I'm just uneducated in it.

Also I don't have a great grasp on who is what to who, so bare with me. If I mess up a few of them correct me, and I'll try to get it right next time.

Avoiding the Unavoidable

Chapter 3

Pack Mentality Means more Suffer

"What are you saying?" I ask calmly on the phone as the creaking from Jacob's steps resounds downstairs. "Hold on, Angela. Shut the hell up Jake! Seriously, some people are trying to talk on the phone! Not all of us have perfect hearing!" I scream up the stairs, knowingly piercing his ear drums and most likely alerting every wolf within a mile from the house. "Okay Ang, what was it? My husband is being moronically loud."

"Well, you liked the ones who grow like weeds Bella, don't blame him." She retorts stifling laughter.

"Hey! He grew into his height. Normally he just pops around corners and no one else hears him. It's so sad. One of his friends will distract me and next thing I know I'm jumping out of my skin because he is grabbing me out of nowhere. None of us have ever be able to explain him, have we? I should have taken a page out of your book and settled for someone who is normal. Ben is so normal, you couldn't have picked a better guy."

"Well, normal can be boring."

"I wouldn't know. Crap, I'm going to be late. I'll tell you later about how I killed Jake, that is before I bribe the police to turn a blind eye." I reply jokingly before ending the call and running upstairs. "Jake? Where are you?" I call out as footsteps shuffle loudly toward the window in the room at the end of the hall, the only room with a closed door. "Fine, stay in there. Don't expect me to be in a good mood later."

"Okay, so does anyone have any questions about anything?" I ask the group of girls sitting in a circle around Sam and I, at the end of our defense class. When no one speaks up I plaster a huge smile on my face- a smile that everyone knew would fade after they turned their backs. "Well, with no more questions get gone! Remember next week we're doing the simulation, and I recommend that you bring your parents. We are doing this for the Elders too! Best behavior!" I call out to their retreating forms.

"What's wrong Bella?" Sam asks grabbing my arm gently and pulling me around. "You have been tense this whole time. I know you well enough to know when something is wrong."

"Jake was running around the upstairs earlier, and then when I came up to ask him why he was being so loud he ran out the window of the spare bedroom. I don't understand Sam, what is going on? First those two little girls, and now I'm spooking. You know me, I don't spook easily."

"It wasn't Jake, Bella. He was with me all afternoon. We heard you yelling something, but since you weren't screaming so we didn't move toward you." Sam admits sheepishly, remembering when they had rushed in all those times when I had everything under control.

_"Oh my God Angela! That is so great!" I remember screaming into the phone, like a schoolgirl. Ben had finally proposed, and no one could be more excited for them than I was. "Of course I'll be your maid of honor. Does it still count since I'm not a maid?"_

_"Of course it does silly, you can be married and be a maid of honor." Angela had been my own maid of honor- the only true friend from High School to stick with me in the post-Edward years. She had been the only one to call when Jake and I had finally become an item, and she was the only one I could trust all those months ago when he had finally proposed by we were hiding it from my father until Jake could ask him first. Forks was always the center of the unexplained. At the time Forks had been going through a rash of unexplained killings, and I later found out that it was one of the Vampires from James' old coven, the male whose name I can't remember. _

_All of a sudden Jacob Black bursts through the wall of our small house in his wolf form, taking the window, and half of the wall with him."Ang, let me call you back. Jake just drove his truck through the side of the house." And that had been the end of that conversation. Jake overreacting to my shrill cries of excitement. Needless to say the boys on the Res had tons of work for a while fixing that part of the house._

"Yeah, he's spent more money on fixing the house after he bursts in than I want to remember. We could go on a cruise around the world on the money he's wasted! Sometimes I wonder why he can't come in the door and then change. Human hands do less destruction."

"Yes, but it isn't as fast."

"I am stronger than your average human, Sam. I have handled Vampire attacks for crying out loud! I've been bitten twice! I've been thrown around rooms, I've jumped off of cliffs-"

"None of which you would have survived without supernatural help."

"That is not the point. Sam, I have a point here. But you have side tracked me and I forgot. Anyway, there was someone upstairs, get a fresh nose up there to see if they can figure out what it was."

"I'll send Jared up there. Paul and Jake are fighting again, and Quil and Embry are on patrol." He decides on the fly, making me realize being Alpha takes lots of organization, no wonder Jake never wanted the post. "let me hop into the woods and tell them, you are coming with me- after I get clothes on- and we'll stay with Emily while Jared checks it out."

"Fine, just hurry. I am going to keep my back turned. I don't want another fight with Jake." I sigh in defeat. For 'soul mates' we fight a lot more than anyone ever dreamed we would.

"There is another scent there- but it isn't one I recognize. There were some clothes burned in the bedroom, I didn't snoop around. Some little fire starter was in there messing around. This is awfully convenient timing with your Vampire visitor Bella." Jared announces bursting into the room. "I think we should all watch our mates. I don't want Kim or Claire or Emily anywhere near this stuff. Whatever it is, it's not pretty."

"We can assume for now that it's just Bella. Unless this spreads there is nothing to fear-" Sam begins.

"No way! You didn't just assume that my Bella goes and calls this up herself! How do I know that a couple of you getting drunk the other night in the cemetery didn't bring up some ghost that is just hitting me first? Or maybe this isn't the first occurrence." Jake accuses pointedly at Paul and Jared, who after drinking an immense amount of alcohol had succumbed to the desire to dance on a couple of graves in the cemetery off of the reservation after they had buried two younger members of the tribe. "There is such a thing as spirits! Look at us! Spirits of the wolf and all our otherworldly things!"

"Look, if this was going to happen to us it would have. We can just assume that it's only-"

"Shut up Jared." Quil interrupts. "I wasn't going to say anything, but when Claire's mom brought her over to me earlier I saw some disturbing bruises, now they could be nothing, but these were huge bruises on the girl. Now we can argue that Bella has been known to hang out with the wrong crowd but Claire isn't old enough! She isn't even a teenager yet! To accuse her of such things is a crime. Now Kim, Emily, Rachel and Bella can take care of themselves, but what about if they can't? This could be bigger than we expect.

"I'm not the first one to stand up for Vampire rights, far from it, but they could be onto something. Bella says this one has visions of the future- that something has changed- let's use any warning we get to our advantage. We are living proof that the norm isn't all there is out there! Bella trusts her, and Jake trusts Bella, so let's give it a chance. If it turns out that we were wrong, well, we tried to protect the community. This could just be a drunken cousin and an overactive imagination. Those two dead girls are still dead, and we owe them to look into everything we have." The silence the followed would have allowed us to all hear the crickets, if it had been the right time of year for them.

"Quil's right." Sam agrees. "Any of the older girls could have made enemies, but she isn't quite young enough to have them of her own. Since she's Emily's cousin we'll have Emily sort it out in the family, and make sure it isn't someone's doing."

"I can do that. I don't want to see anyone hurt." Emily agrees nodding slightly causing her hair to cascade down her ruined right side.

"I know that you all think I have enemies, but in all the years I've been with Jake what has been my biggest enemy? I have been. Have I reported crazy things like this before? No, I haven't. We've been together for eight years and I have never once done anything like this. There was a time in the past that it would have been common for these things to happen to me- James and Victoria for instance- but not this. I wouldn't invite a stranger in and let them burn my clothes. This requires looking into. In the meantime, who votes that I do a class, for free, for those of us attached to a wolf? Just a show of hands, because I don't want to wake all the neighbors." Bella adds quietly as all the hands shoot up. "Good, first thing tomorrow we'll all meet here. Claire can join us, I'll make sure to go easy. And Sam, you can assign the guys and give me one or two tomorrow. You and Jake stick to field work, you're both top dogs in a manner of speaking and I don't want to pull you off the case."


	4. Visions of Fantasy

Avoiding the Unavoidable

Chapter 4

Visions of Fantasy

I could see it. Everywhere I turned I saw this faceless evil after Bella. I saw things after other girls too, and as far as I could tell it was centered around the group that she called wolves. We had called a truce of sorts. I had left a voice mail on Bella's phone when I knew she wouldn't have service and told her to send Jake to a house on our property, right beside a dilapidated cabin. It held a simple note, arranging a meeting. This meeting could go very badly, or it could go well. I'd either live or not. Worse things would happen to Bella if I didn't call this meeting and allowed things to take their course without intrusion.

I called in everyone- with the obvious exception being Edward, he refused to deal with the situation. If he kept refusing he could never get her back. He had a chance to right a past wrong, but on his current path he'd never get that chance. Bella would find solace in the arms of Embry, that is unless he hurried. Well, there was a chance of Seth Clearwater too, but that was much more vague- especially since he didn't meet her 'otherworldly creature' stipulation for a lasting relationship. This was one of my final meeting with Jake- and he wasn't going to take me seriously, but they were bringing their mates.

The note specifically said to bring them, that would be the deciding factor. Bella would freak out regardless. She'd throw things and threaten to leave Jake if he left her out, but she'd cry if she came. This way ended up the best for all involved. Apparently the wolves were only a roadblock if a decision they made effected the outcome. Nothing Jake could do would stop Bella's tears, and excluding her led to a beautiful fight- or at least beautiful for Edward's chances, but he didn't want to take advantage like that. Well, getting him to stay on the continent was the current obstacle. He decided recently that penguins are more entertaining than my company.

"Alice, are you sure?" Jasper asks softly, breaking into my thoughts.

"Yes, I have to try to save him Jasper. If they meet this only halfway the casualties are almost one hundred percent. The sooner they get here the less of an effect this will have. Their women are our greatest asset."

"This will throw Rose for a loop, and Esme as well. This is one of those things they never would have seen in their lifetimes, as a President of minority status was to me."

"But you got over it Jasper, trust me." I encourage him- pressing my lips to his desperately as the two other couples of our Vampire 'family' approach.

"Now I do believe you called us here for something other than a reaffirming of your vows, yes?" Carlisle asks laughing at us.

"Yes I did!" I call out pulling away from Jasper, but leaving my arm around his waist and his around my shoulders. "They are approaching. They are a little slower than we are because they brought their mates. Bella has married Jacob Black, one of the boys from La Push." I explain attempting to prepare Esme for seeing her adopted daughter on the arm of someone other than her adopted son. "They seem to have angered some spirits from the Reservation. It seems like this happens about every hundred years. We have to help them through this, if they'll let us."

"Of course, we'll help her, right Rose?" Emmet asks enthusiastically pulling Rose closer to him.

"One step at a time. We have to get them to agree." I break in before Rose can say no. The best way to win Rose is to win Emmett, but still you need to wait a little while, you can't push her to do anything. "3... 2...1... Now that it looks like all of us are in attendance, let's start this meeting, shall we?" I call over the few yards of forest that separate us from the party from La Push.

Cullens, all of them except for him. I never dreamed that I'd see them again. Seeing Alice in my bedroom was one thing, but seeing Rosalie? I never dreamed she'd come to my aid. Never in a million years. Even at the distance of twenty yards I could see her perfect pale skin, her tight fitting black pencil dress, and her 6" stilettos. She is a wonder, and very hard to miss- even without heels. I would expect the rest- I'd even expect Edward to leave his busily distracted life behind to help me- he said he'd always be in the wings, waiting for my new man to drop the ball. Surely this counted.

"Now that it looks like all of us are in attendance, let's start this meeting, shall we?" Alice calls the few yards left between us and them. When did they become them to me? They were my family at one point, but they made their bed- so I guess we must all lie in it, however discontent we may be. Remembering the cold skin against mine once again brought back memories that I hadn't allowed myself to think about in years, nearly a full decade.

"Why have you called us here? How do you know of our current anomaly?" Sam asks as the Cullen family approaches, and sit quietly on the split-log benches they have placed around the fire, a sign that this meeting will take a while and they are concerned for those of us who are human. Seeing the reluctance of the other wolves to join them, I grab one of Emily's hands and one of Rachel's and we walk- with Kim holding Emily's other hand- to the benches and sit, forcing the men behind us to walk up to the fire. The warmth from the fire is a comfort to all of us on a cool December night. Immediately Emily pulls out a notepad and begins to write furiously, as she does whenever anyone talks at a meeting that she attends, even if it is just a bonfire.

"I am sure Bella has told you of my ability to see into the future. If she has not, then I am telling you now. The things I see have disturbed me. We made a pact with an ancestor of yours to protect the people of this area- now we may have moved on, but Isabella Black remains someone I care about, and I refuse to see her hurt because my pride was too much to allow me to come and speak with you.

"I first saw the danger nearly a month ago, but I had no idea what it meant. You have had a few people killed already, have you not? I believe that someone- or maybe something- is angry with you. I first saw the danger to Bella and met her in her room two weeks ago, in her father's house in Forks or course, I've not crossed the line. There, as she can tell you, I kept her from breaking her leg on termite eaten floorboards. I had not been to the residence in nearly a decade, and it is a bit over the top to assume I placed them there, is it not?" Alice asks receiving a laugh from only me. In the past two weeks she and I have been in constant phone contact.

"I believe that word has spread that your tribesmen are Vampire killers, and I think that you may have made some powerful people angry." Alice takes a deep breath- though I know it's only for show- before she continues. "The threat that you have brought upon yourselves will ultimately bring the Vampire mafia on your heads. They will kill your entire village and from there they will destroy the town of Forks, and they will kill the seven of us."

"No! Alice!" I call out jumping up and letting go of Rachel's hand. "You can't be serious. Nothing will kill this big of a group of wolves."

"Do you remember all those years ago what Edward told you he would do after you died? That he would anger the ruling leaders of the vampires and they would kill him? They will be alerted of this danger in a mere three weeks, you have that long to quell this force before all of our lives our forfeit. When the Vulturi send out Jane, Demetri and Alec it's over. Jane will find out that Bella is immune to her by accident. From there, Demetri and Alec will lure her away and then they will contact the Vulturi and they will all come here, even the wives, to capture what they see as a lucky find. Bella's powers are unprecedented as far as we can tell. I can tell you more, if you would like." Alice offers before giving us a moment to think.

"Alice don't talk in riddles. What are we up against? I faced James- I got past your vision, I could do it again. We both know this." I scream causing the supernatural individuals around me to wince at my voice. "We have fought worse Alice, I don't trust that your visions are that exact. Do I need to tell my painful story about how you doubted me and I got through, and nearly died because you couldn't see that James didn't have my mother?"

"Bella, that is different. You withheld information from me. How could I have known what to look for. He knew how to get away from my powers. James was the exception. These creeps have never heard of me- Bella you have to trust me." Alice pleads, and I know right then there is no getting around it. I am putty in her hands. Being the grown up, mature, responsible adult I have become allows me to only do one thing- to follow my ex-family into this, and to trust them fully.

"Wait," Emily speaks up for the first time, bringing six sets of Vampire eyes to her scars for the first time. "Tell me the story, tell us all the story. We have to come in knowing the facts. I am sorry to ask this of you, Bella. I have come to love you as a sister, but I must know- I can't make this large of a decision without knowing everything."

"I understand, Emily, don't apologize. I'll tell it. You all already know that I was involved with a member of their coven, the only one who isn't here." I begin, only to be interrupted by Alice.

"Bella, he can't be here. Trust me." She breaks in with a look in her eyes that was somehow reassuring and wasn't meant to be questioned.

"No more interruptions! Anyway... long story simplified... kinda. While we were out together- the eight of us- another coven happened to be drawn to us, and one of them caught my scent and he couldn't resist the chase. Of course Edward wouldn't let him get to me- and that only made it more fun for him. He chased me across the country to Phoenix, where I was hiding with Alice and her mate Jasper. I slipped out of their watch and into the sunshine where they couldn't easily follow. I got a taxi and went to the specific meeting place he had made me agree to because I thought he was going to hurt my mother. Turned out it was only a home video. He beat the hell out of me- as most of you saw- and that was the end of that. Shortly after that, on my 18th birthday, there was an incident and Edward decided that he didn't want a human and they all left. I don't place any blame on them, all of it on him. You guys have seen what I was like from Jake's memories." I add sitting back down on the log and feel the warm embrace of Rachel's arms around my shoulders, and Emily's around my waist- thought she was somehow still writing my abridged story.

"I am to blame for the incident." Jasper says slowly stepping forward. "She got a paper cut, and I was new to this lifestyle. After so long of feeding off of humans it was hard to resist. It got to all of us but Carlisle. Edward ended up pushing her backwards and through the glass table. I'm sure most of you have seen that mark." Jasper concludes as I raise my left arm showing the slice down it.

"I have battle scars from my time around them- but I have scars from being around you guys too." I comment turning my left arm over and showing a single claw mark running up my arm from my wrist to elbow before fighting the tangling arms and pulling up my right pants leg and showing two scars running up a perfect line up my shin, a mere inch off of the center before rolling it back down. "Life carries its scars. Let's hear them out, and try to avoid any unnecessary Vampires who do feast on humans. I don't like the idea of getting bitten again.

"I agree with Bella." Sam says shocking everyone. "This can be a democracy or I can order you as the Alpha. To make things easier just sit down if you agree." Sam announces and everyone sits on the logs.

"Yeah! For once my stories of injuring myself actually move people, well I guess cliff diving moves them to fear for my sanity." I remark causing everyone from La Push to laugh, and the Vampires to raise eyebrows. "Why don't you all sit down too. That way we are all on an even level. You made the fire for us humans, come join us." I invite before blinking and noticing that they didn't even bother to cover up their normal movement speed. "Wow, I am not used to that."

"You're just not used to it because Jake stomps around like a monster." Paul announces in victory before receiving a glare from Rachel and slinking behind Sam like a child.

"I don't stomp around like a monster, I just like her to know where I'm at in the house. I could be perfectly silent, but then every time I was in the room with her I would scare her and she would end up hurting herself. Making noise is purely for the comfort of my wife." Jacob declares defending himself from the scrutiny of his werewolf peers.

"Guilty as charged." I weakly admit feeling the blush on my face and the nervous smile. "I nearly killed myself a couple of times on the stairs when he'd just step out of a room and say something. It scared me so badly."

"It's nice to see that in the near decade we've been gone some things haven't changed." Esme says softly smiling in my direction using the same motherly face she uses when in public with her 'children'. "So many things about our Bella have changed, that you are hardly the same person."

"Sorry to cut this short, but you had said that you've been seeing things. If my family could come in harms way because of this, I will kill you if it happens when we're all here." Rachel demands forcefully as if she is trying to bully the answer out of the vampires earning a smile from Alice but causing Rose's gaze to become one of wide eyed shock.

"Well, yes. I did set this up to talk about it. Apparently the Vampires that you have been killing were all of the same coven. I can see that they come this was an attempt to help a vampire that had been after Bella. Five years ago Victoria came back and we thought we had he trapped in northern Canada, but she escaped and we hadn't seen a single sign of her. Not one trace. But now we find a coven that has been hiding her this entire time. She's found a new mate and she's out for blood, but this new mate is different than James was. James was more inclined to hunting than anything, he lived for the thrill. This guy, he's more inclined to do magic. He has a special power, and I'm not sure how to get around his power. We're going to need to bring in more of our kind."

"No, absolutely not!" Quil cries out, jumping up in alarm. "That is insane. The six of you there are a big enough risk to our families and our homes, we don't need more here."

"Quil, they won't hurt anyone. I know these six, and it isn't in their nature." I begin trying to calm him. "Carlisle is their leader, if you have to pin one, he worked in the hospital here for how long? He had how many opportunities where he could have killed the people in his care and how many of them did he kill? How many vampires did he create while he was here? He wouldn't even turn me if I had begged all those years ago. They won't be after Claire."

"You're so sure? They left you! We've all seen from Jake's eyes what they did to you! They may not hurt people physically, but they claim to care about you and look at what they can do, and then come back like nothing happened." He argues back.

"You don't know the whole story." Rosalie hisses at the wolves, speaking up for the first time. "I never liked Bella, I'll admit that. She made us question things about ourselves that I didn't like, and she was a memory of what I could never have. Seeing her now, wasting her life, is not something I do lightly. We didn't leave then because we wanted to, we left because we had to. Jasper nearly killed her, in the blink of an eye. Had Edward not stepped up he would have. When Edward pushed her back, into the table, we all jumped toward her and he could not fend of five vampires with only the help of Carlisle.

"I saw what leaving did to Alice, and what it did to Esme. I have seen with my own two eyes what it has done to Edward. I may not get along with all of them all the time, but no one deserves this. You all got your happy endings, but we get to live for eternity and know that we made mistakes, that something we did wrong could have been avoided.

"I saw the looks on their faces that said 'we never should have come' or 'we should have left when she got here'. If my memory serves me correctly, and I know it does, Emmett, Jasper and I had already left. The only people left here were Carlisle, Esme, Alice and Edward. You all come over here thinking that we were all to blame. Edward forced his way upon us. Carlisle had to leave- he wasn't aging like he should have. He can't pass for mid-late thirties. He can barely pass for thirty-three. Esme can't pass for that, but women can wear make-up and have procedures to hide aging, but he can't do it as well. Emmet and I can't pass for much older than mid-twenties and that is pushing it. After so long of seeing us not change people get suspicious when the sixteen year old still looks the same at twenty six. We couldn't have stayed. We had been talking about leaving before Bella even moved here. Alice and Edward were going to graduate and then we were going to move on. So don't give us the looks that say that we hurt your friend, your sister, intentionally. We did what we have to do. If this was New York City we could have just moved across town, still kept in contact, but not in Forks. It's too small, everyone knows everyone." Rosalie seethes standing up. "I didn't come here to make amends, I came here to keep my family intact, and because Emmett still cares for Bella, he never stopped caring. If all we are going to get out of this meeting is blame, then I will run for a while and get to a hotel for the night before I get back to my life."

"Thank you, for your honesty Rose." I choke out, stifling the sobs. I knew that Rose never cared for me, that she disliked me, and that she is brutally honest. The entire time I was with Edward I had never seen that side of Rosalie. She was always cold and beautiful and superior, and always right. She just screams 'I'm right and everything I do is perfect'.

"I think that feelings are secondary to safety." Sam says looking from Rose to the entire Vampire clan in turn. "We need to know more about this mate she's with, and how she just fell off of your radar." Sam continues diplomatically.

"We can take you to all the places we have been finding her. Maybe your noses can pick up something our senses can't, or maybe just fresh noses and the trail will notice something." Carlisle agree smiling. "I see that we seem to be at an impasse. What we know of the new mate is that he has a strong power of manipulation of elements. We aren't sure if this is some sort of occult thing, or if it is purely a power he was born with. It seems a bit strong to be a power he was born with."

Author's Note- Longest chapter yet! The plot is starting to be revealed! Please review! Oh, and the only reason that the wolves were willing to bring the mates and meet with them? Do you think someone like Bella will wait on the sidelines again? Or better yet- Rachel is his sister, and if she is anything like Jake she isn't going to give in easily.

And about Alice seeing something, it never says that she can't work a way around the wolves. Given time (which she has had) she could have developed a way. Mine reasoning is that if the wolves aren't directly impacting, why should their being there matter? Of course she can't see them, but I'm hoping it does make sense.


	5. Tell Me Lies

Author's Note- Hopefully this makes sense. It jumps views a couple of times, but you can PM me with questions or you can put them in your review. Reviews are always welcome.

Avoiding the Unavoidable

Chapter 5

Tell me Lies

"Jasper, hand me the pad." Alice says softly as her eyes take on a glassy hue. "I see them, I hear them." She continues, grabbing the pad of paper and the pen before furiously drawing on the paper.

"Alice," I whisper softly running to her side, flying in my mere human speed. "What are you seeing, what are you hearing?" I continue, kneeling on the soft ground and placing my hands on her cold, marble knees.

"Talking, talking." Alice mumbles in reply. "Looking for a target." She continues as the ghosts on the paper become figures that are recognizable. They became obvious- Jake, Emily and me being attacked by Victoria and two more figures that may or may not be vampires, but were most definitely on Victoria's side.

"What is it that you're seeing?" Jasper asks from her side leaning over for a better view of the picture.

"The better question is what are they saying? I can't imagine that is very good." Rosalie says standing behind her.

"You can't tell me that that is what that is." I mumble standing up with my head bowed, hair covering my face. I was facing death again. I was facing death at the hands of the psychopath that nearly killed me a decade ago, and this was not going to be pretty. If not for her, James never would have been successful in tracking me down to Phoenix, if not for her....

"Jacob, catch her. Don't let her fall in the fire." I vaguely hear Alice's voice as my knees turn to liquid and I slowly begin falling backwards to be caught in warm arms.

"Bells, are you okay? What is on that paper? Why are you acting so funny?"

"Victoria, is going to turn me." I whisper through the veil of hair that covered my face as I fell back. "She is going to finish what James started."

"We have no way of knowing that Bella." Rosalie says closing her eyes and exhaling loudly enough for me to hear it.

"Yeah Bells, I'm not going to let that happen, and you know this. Nothing will happen here, and I don't care if I have to move you to Alaska to do it." Jake promises softly into my hair.

"Does he realize that is an option?" Esme asks looking up at Carlisle and smiling.

"It isn't an option yet, Esme. We'd have to clear it with Tanya, and she might just be a little reluctant to harbor the one that Edward fell for when he couldn't develop feelings for anyone else." Carlisle replies smiling down at his wife.

"Angela, thanks for letting me stay here for a few days. I can't believe that the water pipe burst and that my dad has to have his house fumigated on the same weekend. It has to be the worst timing in the history of the world, and I am so glad that you let me stay here. Two people can't stay in Billy's house, Jake can barely fit in there, and that is before you add Billy in his wheelchair."

"Yeah, Jake is kind of big." Angela agrees pushing a strand of hair behind her ear nervously. "It's a little messy, but I hope you don't mind." She continues stepping inside before gasping loudly. "Who are you?"

"Angela, who are you-" I begin to ask stepping in the doorway before my eyes meet hers, before they meet the eyes of the killed I'd eluded for the past decade. "Victoria?" I gasp as a pair of strong hands pull me into the house and another pair slam the door shut. "What is going on here?"

"I'm getting my revenge on you. I've waited a decade for this, just to wipe the smile off of your pathetic little face, and I get it now." She laughs throwing her head back and shaking her long, red locks before lowering her eyes to mine and glaring. "You get me now, and the best thing is that I got you outside of your comfort zone. You vampires have been gone for a long time, and your wolves aren't going to cross into the city because they don't want bloodshed, the cowardly fools. But I do. I want to cause you pain, like the pain you caused me." She hisses inching toward me and blowing her sweet breath right into my face.

"What are you talking about? I didn't do anything to you! If you want me, leave Angela alone." I demand sounding much more confident than I felt. "Your fight isn't with her, take me if you want someone, but don't take her." Like all those years before, dying in the place of someone you love didn't seem like that bad of a plan. I love Angela, like a sister, and Jake and the Cullen family, a part of me still even loves Edward after all of this time and pain. "Let her go, and I won't fight you. Just let her go."  
"You don't wanna do that love." A male voice calls out behind me. "I like the little girl, I want her for my own pet." He says slinking toward Angela with a predatory look crossing his features. "My darling, we can have so much fun. Just imagine all the hours of sweet torment. This Angela smells as pretty as the other, let's keep them both." He continues as he lithely moves to stand behind Victoria. "Maybe someday we could turn them both." He whispers just loud enough for me to hear, and meeting my gaze with his blood red eyes.

"I like how your mind works." She replies as her face lights up with enjoyment. "That might be the best idea I've heard in a decade lover. Turn the girl and make her mate suffer an eternity knowing that his lovely chose the other life, and that she chose it after she chose a wolf! But we have to wait on this little lovely. She seems to be carrying the spawn of a wolf. I don't want to kill her just yet. We can make her kill her baby first, we only need to wait another six months." Victoria gloats smiling. "I'll just play a little game with this one first." She continues before grabbing my hair and pulling me backwards toward the staircase.

Panic had me frozen. Bella was pregnant? These were Vampires? Her lover? She'd only ever had Jake and Edward, did she mean that Edward and his family were vampires? They were odd in high school, but I just couldn't see Edward and Alice being creatures of the night like Dracula. It was like Bella had a secret life.

Her screams brought me back into the present. Watching Bella drug up the stairs of my home like some baby doll was frightening. The woman with the red hair, had she called her Victoria? The woman was dragging her by one hand that was gripping her hair, like she weighed nothing. She was throwing her against the railing and the wall like her body was a piece of paper, and it got worse when I could no longer see them, and only hear her screams.

"Alice!" I hear everyone scream, but I couldn't reply. My hands groped for the familiar hands at my right, with the pad of paper and the pen. The scene unfolding scared me. We need Edward. "Rose, call Edward. Tell him that I've seen her death. Victoria got her hands on Bella."

"What are you talking about? She's with the wolves. Jake was planning on leaving tom- of all the stupid things for her to do!" Rose screams in frustration causing Emmett to run over to her and throw his arms around her, as if protecting her from the big bad vampire. What I didn't tell Rose was that not even Jake knew that Bella was ducking out. She had decided spur of the moment that she wasn't going to go with Jake to where her mother now lived in Virginia with a half-sister than she had only seen a handful of times.

"Are you saying that she left Jake? Edward is going to love this!" Emmett calls out trying to break the tension.

"No, she has endangered Angela Webber. This fight just broke out to the populace of Forks. I think it may have just broken the treaty. We may have to run.

"You could have just lied about that part." Esme mutters scowling.


	6. Deathly Rage

Avoiding the Unavoidable

Chapter 6

Deathly Rage

The conversation ran in my head over and over and over. Victoria got to Bella. We lost her years ago, assumed someone had taken her out because no one could find a whisper of her- even when we all called in favors. We did everything short of going to Demetri, since no one wants to pull them into this mess. We had hunted for years for her, given up and now she attacks us when we're blind, after Alice stops looking for her. Alice had been vigilant, she had looked for her for seven years. She had looked every day into the future of Bella until her power grew to the point that she could see around the wolves of La Push. She had trained her power to save the love of my existence. Alice had given up the life that Jasper wanted to give her so that she could feed my obsession.

If I was honest with myself I knew that Alice cared for her. Alice didn't just do it to feed my desire, she didn't just do it to keep my sanity. She loved Bella, like the family that she didn't remember from her human years- like she loved us.

Bella is pregnant and in the hands of Victoria. Neither phrase sat well with me. She is carrying his child, the child of the La Push wolf. If she should be carrying anyone's it should be mine- even though we have no proof that she could. The thought that she would be in that situation with someone other than me, it was pure torture. Plain and simple torture. I'd rather be ripped to shreds than admit that I had lost the fight for her. Why is it that you never know what you had until you've lost it?

Sure, I knew- "Hello?" I ask into the receiver of my cell phone.

"Edward, don't torment yourself that way." Alice, always Alice. "Look, I know you'll be here in about three hours. We'll be at the house in Forks waiting. You aren't the only one upset. Jake is beside himself. He is just as furious as you are. I don't have to read thoughts to know this. We will get her back, I just need you here." She finished and I hear a click. Great, she called to rush me home. Of course she would know it would work. The thought of Jacob Black saving MY Bella was enough to turn my stomach- in a figurative sense. No thinking, no dwelling, just run.

"She will be fine." The bloodsucker assures me. Fine, of course she can't say 'We will have her in five minutes, and she'll be perfectly fine, not one scratch.' I have to settle for fine. "Jake, don't worry. If Edward gets here on time, and I'm confident he will, she'll be in your arms before tomorrow evening. We can even get Angela out of this alive and human." She tries to reassure me, placing her hand on my shoulder causing me to pull back violently throwing her off balance. Her touch burns it is so cold, pulling me out of my stupor, and allowing me to hear the call from my Alpha, the one that says 'Get you ass in the woods and change now!'

"_What do you need?"_I ask after running into the forest and transforming, leaving a trail of clothing behind me.

_"We have news. Chief Swan is with your father, and he's unaware that anything is going on. He thinks that Bella is off at some seminar for the self defense. Apparently Billy convinced him that the elders of another tribe called her in. Being the police chief he understands the violence rates going up-" _

_"Just get on with it!"_ I growl harshly cutting off Sam.

_"I know your wife is in danger, but I am your Alpha, and you will not do that to me again."_ Sam warns in the Alpha voice, the one that no member of the tribe could resist, except maybe me. _"We have taken Kim, Claire, Rachel and Emily to a town about a hundred miles away. They are under the __protection of Seth and Leah Clear-"_

_"Seth and Leah? They don't even-"_

_"They did the change for the first time earlier today. The increased threat is increasing our numbers. They can't be trained in time for this fight, they are currently traveling with the four women with strict orders not to leave the hotel room."_

_"These Vampires aren't like the ones in Buffy dude!"_ I scream over the link, causing the entire pack to cringe. _"They don't have to be invited in to enter. They can rip in, rip the hotel apart and kill them all before Leah and Seth can even make the change. You don't think Bella and I have talked about this? She knew that Victoria was still on the loose, she doesn't trust anyone who keeps her in the dark, and the bloodsuckers did until a few nights ago. Now they are even bringing in her ex! Her fucking ex that put her in harms way before! Apparently he is the only one that can save us this time. What do you mean they are safe a hundred miles away, I can't guarantee they'd be safe in Antarctica."_

_"We understand your stress man."_ Quil says in what would have been a soothing tone to Claire. _"We all know what this means. They are bringing in more like them, ones that don't feast on humans. We only have until tomorrow night to prepare. We need to know how to fight these guys, and you need to calm down enough to let us. Yes, they have you wife and unborn child- but you didn't even know she was pregnant until the psychic one told you! It could be a lie!"_

_"It's not. There were signs, she kept meaning to take a test, but we've been so busy...."_

_"Look, tell the coven that we are going to need to know everything they know, that we need to get familiar with their scents so that in the heat of battle nothing happens. We'll meet in that same clearing in an hour. Do it Jake." _Sam orders dismissing me. Of course, he had to do all the planning without me, without the Beta. It would be enough to make my own pack if he didn't shape up.

"In an hour the rest of the pack will be here, we're going to need to get used to your scents in order to fight in your vicinity. You're going to have to let us- what are you looking like that for?" I ask as the three women exchange looks.

"I think you'll need to put your pants on before we talk any more of this, don't you agree." The older one says laughing slightly as I look down, realizing the full monty was just hanging out- and if Bella knew I was standing naked in front of these three women she'd freak. Positive thoughts, Jake, she is going to make it out of this and pummel you for your idiocy. Yes, just the thoughts I needed.

"Stand very still." I announce to my family, interpreting the Alpha's thoughts. "If we make a move they might react out of instinct and attack. Don't provoke it. They aren't young wolves, but they aren't used to dealing with our kind."

"Of course, tell the statues not to move." Rose mocks shaking her head, launching her scent toward the wolves as her hair flies in the wind causing them all to stiffen as the sickly sweet aroma attacks their sensitive noses. "Seriously Edward, you think you can come back after nearly a decade of self-loathing and tell us how to do things." She continues to challenge.

"Look Rose, this isn't the time for this." I hiss baring my fangs. "You don't want to provoke me, the entire family won't be able to hold me back before I get to you."

"Oh yes, come get me. I'd love to watch as Emmett stops you before you get to me... that is unfair Jasper." She calls out as the tension eases and calm steps in the place vacated.

"It was necessary." Is his only response.

"Rose, we aren't here to fight, think of the child that Bella is carrying, she has done nothing to deserve us just leaving her to die! Think what you want about Bella, but there is a life there, a chance that you and I were never given." Alice pleaded. The thought that went through her mind, that most likely the child wouldn't survive, it tore at me. The idea of saving Bella, only to crush her spirits, ate at me. I could see it now- Victoria spotting us, and launching the pregnant Bella through the window of the second story. Bella would barely survive, she'd only survive if Carlisle was on the first floor. She would bleed out all over the grass and the small amount of life inside of her would die out, her baby would die so that she could live- the ultimate sacrifice.

"Fine, but I don't expect a mere fetus to survive this encounter. I'm not entirely sure the pack of wolves will intact." Rose snipes back.

"Rose, they are getting impatient. Let's end our fighting for now, so they can get this over with." I choke out softly, the thoughts running through Alice's head getting worse by the minute. Every minute we waited decreased the odds that Bella and the baby would survive. If we didn't leave in the next three of four minutes, the baby would die. The odds were starting to look bad for Bella too, at this rate Carlisle would just get too frustrated to listen to us. Seven years is a long time for tension to build, and even we get effected by it.

"Well, I personally say that we should just get this over with. I don't like the idea of not knowing what I'm up against." Tanya says from my left, once again hoping to win my affection, I can see it in her thoughts.

_"Their fighting is making my day, do you think they are right about this though? Can Bella and our child both live through this and not be horribly scarred?"_

_"I think that they are right about some things, but I see the tension between the mind reader and the psychic. She is seeing something she isn't telling, and whatever it is, he doesn't like it."_ Sam says growling lowly as one of the new female vampires attempt to end to fighting in the group. _"This is why you don't want to live forever. That woman must be the mind reader's ex, look at the way she is hovering over him. It's comical. I'm sure that Bella will tell you to hurt him Jake, just wait for it."_

_"I can only wish. I've dreamed of hurting Edward Cullen the way he hurt her. One of us needs to go human to stop this fighting."_ I announce shirting back to my human form, and this time pulling my pants in front of me, just to cover up a little bit more in the hope that Bella won't cream me when she gets back, that her attention will be me hurting him. "If you all don't stop fighting this is all for nothing. We are designed to hunt your kind, we will kill them, and then there is no saying that we won't come back for you." I threaten before shifting back to my wolf form. None of us trust the mind reader enough to pass on our message, so one of us shifting was the only way to get it through to him.

"Fine." The blond spits out full of venom. "My fight can wait, I have an eternity that Bella can't hope for. We can fight in sixty years Edward, when the only people left to remember this meeting are the vampires present.

"Rosalie, we can fight in five minutes on the way to get her, just let this happen without goading me into something you'll regret later." The mind reader seethes swiftly returning her venom.

_"Guys, if I get bit, just kill me and put me out of my misery, living a life like that- with the stupid blond breathing down my neck and reminding me that in a lifetime she'll still be around- that would be the death of me."_ I remark narrating their fight, to the amusement of the entire pack as set off on our mission of sniffing the hands of eleven Vampires.

"Oh, the poor little girl. Facing this cold, harsh world without her men. What is it like to choose between the eternal Vampire and the 'noble' wolf, Bella? Does it make your skin tingle? Do you see him and does it make your heart stop? What is your favorite memory?" The Vampiric bitch asks me, running a hand through her red hair. "Awww... be a good sport and play along. This is the video your two suitors will see when we're done with you." Victoria threatens bring her face close to mine, her sweet breath washing over my face.

"I have nothing to say to you. You aren't going to be able to torture either of them with a video of my tears and begging. It won't happen, you heartless bitch." I seethe spitting on her marble face.

Oh, you will regret that." She roars slapping me across the face and sending my restrained body across the room. "You much like it rough. Petty little human flirting with danger all the time. First you chose a Vampire, then you piss off another Vampire and nearly die, making another enemy. Finally you choose a wolf! You have a great track record. My new mate, Jeremy, is going to show you what torture is really like. He's different than James, Bella. He likes to play with his food first. He doesn't mind waiting, and he sets the perfect traps." She whispers barely loud enough for me to hear as I wince in pain.

"We have to run, darling." Jeremy says running through the door, shattering it. "They caught on, you were right to worry. We need to ditch her for now, and come back. You've waited eight years now, you can wait a few more weeks." He continues, running his hand down her face in a loving gesture. "Let's leave them with a present." Jeremy whispers placing his hands on the curtain as they catch on fire.

"I suppose we should." Victoria says smiling broadly at this red eyes. "I have a present for your lovers, Bella." Victoria says in a moan, bringing her teeth down to sinking her teeth into my shoulder causing me to cry out in pain.

"They changed their plans." I whisper softly as the wolves finish going down our line, preparing themselves for our scents. "To Angela Webber's house now!" I scream before running into the forest, Jake and Edward only steps behind me. 


	7. Different Eternal Life leads to Conflict

Author's Note- I'm about to seem like a bad author, leaving you in suspense. I just realized that I didn't develop the Jake and Bella intro very well, so I'm going to fill out their story a little. Just read it! Fluff in the Team Jacob Variety, sorry Team Edward (I feel for you, I'm personally team Edward).

Avoiding the Unavoidable

Chapter 7

Different Beliefs in Eternal Life lead to Conflict

The pain seared through my body like it had nearly a decade before. This time the pain was in my throat, with a bite through my cheek and deep punctures in my shoulder. The bitch had ripped at my throat before sinking her teeth into my cheek, causing the poison to burn the inside of my mouth and down my throat. Through the pain I could barely hear their voices, they could have talked for seconds or years and I would never have known the difference. The threats were there, burning slowly under their calm voices.

"Well, let's see what your Jake thinks when he's dealing with a vampire bride." Jeremy taunts in my ear, in a voice that must have been a scream to travel over the burning. "Then again, maybe your old buddy Edward will steal you away into the night. It will be fun to play with a Vampire couple. Much more fun that the flea infested wolves."

"And this is my parting gift, you lovely girl, let it be a reminder or what is to come." Victoria coos to me, like a mother to a small child before pushing something through my abdomen. "Now you'll never be able to bear the children of the wolf, let's see how he likes this." She taunts laughing loudly as I scream out in pain. The beating I had received in Phoenix paled in comparison to this one. A few broken bones and one bite doesn't compare to holes in your body.

Opening my eyes I could see the curtains burning, the sparks moving onto the canopy bed- and I didn't know any more if it was the venom burning through my veins or the fire actually igniting my skin. The pain, so much pain, and getting so much worse from three bites.

"We must move faster." Alice moans softly, speeding her small frame through the forest faster than anyone had imagined the smallest of us could move. "She doesn't have time. Call your wives back, they are no longer safe away from you."

"Alice, what are you seeing?" Emmett erupts pushing Jasper away to stand beside our seer and gripping her arm in his iron grip.

"She has been bitten three times." Alice cries out softly enough that I can hear the confusion in the wolves' thoughts from not being able to hear the entire explanation. The anger, pain, and snap decisions of their leader sent three wolves running back to La Push- but my anger was too great to care which three, all I knew was that Jacob Black was right beside me, playing every memory of his life with Bella. He was torturing me, in the hopes to provoke me into a fight he felt obligated to pick- a fight to the death that he wanted with me after all of this was over. Starting by replaying the images of the emotionally injured Bella, the stunts that nearly cost her her life, and then their memories together.

_"Bella?" He asks softly walking into the kitchen of the Swan house where Bella stands making waffles. "I have a question for you, you ready to hear this?"_

_"Sure, you goof ball." Bella replies barely looking up from work. "It better be quick though, because I have to leave for school in about twenty minutes." _

_"It won't take long, I promise." He fires back laughing. "I was thinking about that movie that I ruined a while back-"_

_"Jake, don't worry about it. I understand, you were sick. Or at least I can keep telling myself that you were sick, and that it had nothing to do with me being a bad not-date dater." She interrupts, removing the waffles before walking over to him and placing a hand on his shoulder. _

_"Well, I still wanted to know if you'd let me make it up to you?" He asks softly, stepping forward and closing the gap between them. "There is this really cool movie playing, and it's right near the Res, we can double with Jared and Kim, that is if you feel uncomfortable with just me-"_

_"Jake, don't be silly. You're my best friend, the only one who understands me is you, you're the only one that I can be completely honest with. You are the stitches and glue to my once broken heart. Kind of like that plate you had to glue last week after it jumped out of my hands." She admits smiling, as her cheeks heat up before she jumps onto her knees on the counter to reach the bowls Charlie had moved to the top shelf._

_"I can help you with-" but she cuts him off, turning around and pressing her lips to his gently and just holding them there, waiting for him to react while the electricity of her touch courses through his body, but Charlie bursts into the room forcing them to pull apart. _

_"Don't let me stop you, Jake is better than that Cullen boy, this is the first one I approve of Bells." He says holding up his hand to block the sight, grabbing a plate and waffles with one hand before going into the living room and turning on the television and turning it up. _

_"I'm sorry Jake, I didn't-"_

_"Don't ever apologize for kissing me, apologize when you stop." He replies pressing his lips back against hers, causing the electricity to run through his body again, and the fire that had been burning for her engulfs his entire body as they battle for dominance, before Bella tips the wrong way into him and sends him crashing to the floor. _

_"You kids should be more careful! Take the day off and go to a movie or something! I'm sure they won't miss Bella that much for one day." Charlie calls from the next room before turning the turning the television up even louder on the pampers commercial. _

_"Only my dad would watch a pampers commercial so that he couldn't hear us." Bella whispers laughing against his ear, causing goosebumps to run down his spine, making his hair stand on end. _

_"It's just because of me, your dad loves me so much that he doesn't care what we do." He replies laughing before capturing her lips again. _

_Another memory of a small apartment, obviously a studio apartment of sorts- with a heavy smell of rodent- and Bella soundly asleep on the small full size bed, her hair a rats nest of tangles and curls the only thing peeking above the Christmas themed comforter. Her hair wasn't all brown, it had blond and red in the tangles, signs of recent chemicals, and the harsh smell evidence that it hadn't been long since it had been done. _

_Quietly walking through the living room toward the sleeping beauty, careful not to wake her, he grabs her hairbrush off of the counter and begins to run it through her hair- waking her slowly. _

_"Jake, Rachel thought you might like it." She yawns softly just waking up and taking over the hair brushing. _

_"Bella, it's beautiful." He whispers softly. "You can't do anything to your hair that I wouldn't love."_

_"That sounds like a challenge." She yawns loudly. "We thought the change would do me good after-" but he doesn't let her finish, cutting her off with his lips, in a gently kiss that she quickly turns rough by pinning him down onto the bed, and a trail of bite marks along his neck and upper chest. _

_"Bella," he whispers again, ending the passionate kiss, "I have a question for you. Will you marry me?" He asks meeting her eyes and watching them widen in surprise. _

_"Yes, Jake. Of course I will." She cheers enthusiastically wrapping her arms around his neck and continuing where they had left off. "That is one of the things I love about you, you know that I don't like making a big production out of anything." _

_Bella stands in front of a crowd in a small church, simply separated by a red carpet down the middle- flowers thrown haphazardly along the carpet from the small flower girls at the opposite end of. Her small form enclosed in a corset gown that held to her form all the way down to the floor, pearl beading accenting the perfectly positioned cleavage that was the biggest talk of the wedding. She walks down the aisle, toward her fiancée, the man that would be her husband in mere minutes. Her long brown locks lay merely curled, framing her face, and holding a small veil covering her face, a gentle tear making it's way down her face. A gentle 'I love you' forming on her lips, a statement that only the sight of his lineage would allow. _

_Time seemed to stop as she trips, being caught by none other than Sam who had placed himself strategically on the outside of a middle row- he must have known she would fall. _

_"Thanks, I owe you." She says softly smiling at him before returning her gaze to her soon-to-be husband. The man who stitched her heart back together, and the man who would work every day for the rest of his life to make sure it stayed together. As long as they both shall live, that is the phrase that he would say, but he would mean for eternity. Jacob Black believed in eternal life, he had to, especially after receiving the best gift anyone can ask for- the love of his life. The woman who would be the mother of his children, and the woman that he wanted to wake up to every morning, and go to sleep with every night until they no longer needed their earthly bed. _

_When she finally ends her walk down the aisle, he grabs her hands in his, and barely hears the words of the minister- Renee demanded that they marry in the "traditional American way", even though they had had a ceremony on the Res months ago, he remembers in agitation rolling his shoulders to relieve the itch from the unfamiliar material of the suit. _

_He watched Bella's lips move, only being able to think of them moving for other reasons, with other words. He didn't hear the minister telling him his lines, and was nudged by Quil, much to the amusement of Billy and Charlie who let out large whooping laughs from both sides of the audience, which of course led to the entire audience bursting into laughter like school children and heat flaring up to his cheeks. _

_Bella's hands fidgeting signal him to place his hands under hers, and bring him back into reality. If he didn't move his hands and allow the top of her hands access to the cooler air he could burn her dainty hands. The beautiful hands that were covered in silk gloves to help protect her from his body heat during the long ceremony and hand holding. The hands there are beautiful even when they are scrubbing remnants of food off of dirty dishes, or throwing things at him in a fit of rage._

_He didn't hear the minister say that he could kiss her, but he felt Bella's lips on his, and the electric spark answered in turn, and it took all of his power to not pick her up and run into the dressing room, tradition be damned. "Jake," she whispers against his lips,"We have an entire lifetime to do that, today is for my parents, so behave." _

_Before he knew it, they were walking back down the aisle hand in hand, and she was whispering softly in his ear "Now we'll never need to waste that money on central heat, maybe just the air part." and winking slightly, the glitter eyeshadow catching in the sunlight like diamonds over her eyes, making her chocolate brown eyes darker by comparison- a Hollywood make-up artist couldn't have made her more beautiful. "Now let's just make sure I don't fall flat on my butt trying to dance, okay? I wore ballerina slippers and I've still managed to trip already."_

_"Oh, so I have to be your knight in shining armor?" He asks teasingly, picking her up in his arms and twirling her around at the end of the red carpet aisle. _

_"Always Jacob Black, I wouldn't know what to do without you."_

"Carlisle, someone needs to grab the blood you've stored in the house." Alice says and Esme runs off in the opposite direction, followed by a wolf for the mental connection. "Edward keep it together," she continues softly, only for me, "I know what he is showing you, it's only to hurt you. What you need to know is that Bella needed him. He did something we couldn't have done for her. Don't let him get to you."

"The wolves want you to tell them why they had to send some of their own away." Is the only response I was capable of, the memories having drained all of my emotions, while I was miserable all over the world Bella was happy. I could have made her happy, I could have held her hands while saying vows in front of her family and mine, it should have been me.

"She isn't doing well. Jake will have to shift back immediately when we get to her. She needs someone to keep her calm. Jasper and I will be on the first floor, helping Angela, she only has minor injuries- but she is traumatized and seeing wolves is not what she needs right now. You all need to keep a perimeter. They have run off already. She will be in lots of pain. She is currently turning. We have to stop it. Esme had to get the blood or Bella wouldn't have enough for us to save her. It's a shot in the dark, I don't know the outcome yet. Sam, you'll need to chase the scent, Jake will have to go with you once we stabilize her. The two you sent for your mates have met them by now, they have changed course, on their way back to La Push. It looks like your two guards were both in human form in their van- it seems like one was asleep or something, it's not very clear." She announces watching Sam nod his shaggy head.

"They want to know what we'll find once we get there." I hear Edward ask me as we race to save Bella, the best human friend I had ever had.

"I don't know. It looks like the house is burning right now. We need to make it look electrical for Angela's sake. I can see Bella, but she can't tell why she is in pain. I don't remember anything from when I was turned so I can't help by telling you if she's in the fire or not. I don't think she is. I can smell the smoke, but not burning flesh. We will be there soon, I can't tell anything from her point of view, and I can't see what I will see when I get there. Victoria and Jeremy are racing across the country, but I can't tell in which direction. All I can see is that they just started running, and they just plan to keep running. They aren't following anything specific."

"So Kate and I get to make an electrical fire? I like that idea." Tanya says smiling at her sister, but the vision changed as she said it, I could see Angela Webber panicking the second she saw me approach, looking the same as I had a decade before.

"No, two of you need to tend to Angela, no Cullen can, she knew us, and it will raise too many questions. The girl already thinks that we might be something other than human, but she'll forget if we don't appear before her. Jasper and I can make the fire. Here is her house coming up."

No words could describe the view of Bella in that room. I saw her, and the drapes catching on fire and my first thought was to run with my wife out of the building, but I couldn't because she would bleed out and I would lose her if I moved her. Running to her side was the only thing I could do, but I could do it well.

"Bella, can you hear me?" I ask in her ear, hoping that she could answer- that she could hear.

"Jake... the pain... it has to stop." She moans out meeting my eyes, her chocolate brown eyes spilling with rivers of salty tears that I could smell over the fire in the room that the large vampire was putting out, with the help of the mind reader, and the mother figure. "Rose has to... she needs to get this out." Bella continues moaning and shaking as she attempts to talk.

"Did I just hear her right?" The blond asks kneeling beside her and helping the father figure with the stitches in Bella's abdomen, where the enemy had shoved her claws through the child we had created. "She asked me to? I'm trying to stitch her up. Edward did this before-"

"No.... he can't touch me...." she moans out as her eyes begin to roll back and only the white shows.

"Hang the bags Alice." The doctor orders the little pixie who flits around the room before quickly inserting a needle into both arms of my wife. "Rose, just try. The venom needs to come out fast, or else we can't stop the change. There isn't much venom. If you hurry her blood will be clean."

"Do it Rose!" The mind reader screams from across the room. "If you let her die I will rip you to pieces myself."

"Don't let her die." I whisper staring at my wife's agony. The only thoughts running through my head were that if she couldn't live, I wouldn't. Sitting there and watching a bloodsucker drain her was not on my list of things that I could handle. The fight was raging in me now, and I had to get this blood sucking fiend taken care of. "If she dies I'll rip all of you apart." I threaten watching the blond's mouth attach to my Bella's shoulder, the only bite that still looked like a bite and not the feast of a hungry animal. Shifting forms and running down the stairs, the only thing I could think of was getting to my pack and hunting down this thing that had injured my wife. Let the Vampires handle saving her life with their medicine, I was going to make sure that this never happened again.


End file.
